Statistics show that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. This staggering reality is causing more than awareness of the disease; it’s changing the expectations of healthcare consumerism as we know it. Women are taking more control of their medical data and looking for the right tools to help them navigate our complex healthcare system. Unfortunately, they often lack the necessary consumer-friendly resources to properly manage their care. This is especially the case for women who need to access their prior mammograms. These exams are necessary for comparisons over time and early breast cancer detection. When these exams are not available, care is often delayed, the patient may be exposed to redundant testing and false positives, or medical decisions are made with only the immediately available information. However, when these exams are available at the time of screening, there is significant clinical, experiential and economic value created.
This white paper explores:
The importance of access to prior mammograms to reduce false positives and recall rates and increase early detection.
How access to prior exams can save health providers time, decrease unnecessary costs procuring exams and improve overall quality.
How health plans can avoid significant costs caused by lack of priors to improve cancer screening programs by reducing repeat studies, biopsies and late treatment.
The role electronic mammography exchange plays to provide a unified access point to these exams for both patients and providers for better outcomes and care.
